FAN Shroud

[mdsalemi]

Does anybody have any direct experience in running their automatic without and with the fan shroud?  I understand that the shroud was on later vehicles, I think those with A/C.  I have heard that it will help to keep the temperature down on these cars.

The part is not that expensive new, probably less used; however it is likely a bear to install, but want to know if anybody had done this and what their results were.

Michael Salemi

Mike Salemi

[Cees Klumper]

I have a (metal) fan shroud on my 280 SL automatic. I just re-installed it together with the engine and radiator. It bolts right in, not a big deal. I have not run the car without the shroud, but I have never had any of the cooling problems many others experience(d). So it probably is a good idea to add one.

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[knirk]

Hi,
Can anybody please explain what a fan shroud is?

Per G. Birkeland
69 280 sl aut 834
Norway

[Cees Klumper]

Hard to explain in words funny enough - best advice I can give you is do a search on Google, images, and you will find about 1,250 examples of what fan shrouds look like - from this it will become obvious what they do and why it helps in raising cooling capacity. I seem to recall these were not fitted standard on all cars, but maybe only on cars that needed extra cooling, e.g. equipped with AC. The normal Pagoda parts books don't list them, at least not the couple I just looked at.

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[knirk]

Thanks Cees,
I guess this is an obvious object for our English speaking friends. Couldn’t find it in my books either.
 – Here’s a picture of one for a Nissan:


Download Attachment: shroud.jpg
30.26 KB

Per G. Birkeland
69 280 sl aut 834
Norway

[mdsalemi]

Hi Per,

The fan shroud was fitted, I believe, to later model cars with air conditioning.  It kind of encapsulated the fan and directed the air all through the radiator instead of around it.  Tom at Caliber Motors quotes a price of $126.00 or so for it, so it does exist.
When Joe Alexander held the Tech Session in Ohio last June, we had about 8 113's, and I saw this shroud on at least one of the cars.
I also have seen some discussion about it, I believe, on the Yahoo site as well as Dorian pagoda113.com.

If the shroud does improve cooling it would be a good thing to have.

Michael Salemi

quote:Originally posted by knirk

Hi,
Can anybody please explain what a fan shroud is?

Per G. Birkeland
69 280 sl aut 834
Norway

Mike Salemi

[Douglas]

Here's a photo of an SL from ebay that has a fan shroud installed:

Download Attachment: bb_1_s.JPG
31.68 KB

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #018260

[Benz Dr.]

I have one from a car that had no AC. I think it has a 113 part number on it.

  Dan

Daniel G Caron

[blairwag]

The fan shroud funnels the air, pulled by the turning fan. The wide end of the funnel is attached to the radiator. The tapered end of the funnel surrounds the fan. The idea is to make sure that almost ever CFM of air pulled by the fan, goes through the radiator, making the radiator more efficient.

Because of the work I'm doing to my car, I just so happen to have all of this removed.

The following is a picture of what the radiator looks like, from the engine's perspective, with no fan shroud installed:

Download Attachment: NoShroud.jpg
75.23 KB


The following is a picture of what the radiator looks like, from the engine's perspective, with the fan shroud installed. Like Cees says, once you see it in place, it becomes quite clear with it's all about. Likely, much clearer than this picture - it's HARD to hold t he fan and the camera!

Download Attachment: wShroud.jpg
65.97 KB

Prior to this thread, I was considering NOT reinstalling the shroud - because it was a major pain in the back-side for removal. Even after removing the necesary bolts & nuts to detach the shroud from the radiator, I couldn't get the radiator out of the engine compartment without first removing the fan. There just wasn't enough room to move the shroud forward enough for the radiator to clear it.
But, after reading these comments, I'll make the necessary efforts to reinstall it. I'm really grateful for this thread - and this community!


--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William Blair Wagner: blairwag@earthlink.net
Education is not always knowing the answer,
...but rather knowing where to look for it!
1971 280SL US Automatic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[peterm]

Hot day today-----ac on and needle goes for the red as usual.  Fan shroud yes, timing OK, new water pump, recored radiator, does anyone have an idea for a source for an electric fan or should i just drive naked?

[Cees Klumper]

This is a presistent problem for many. If you do a search on older topics, and check the technical articles, this should generate some info. One thing for sure: don't overheat the engine. This can very well warp the cylinder head and usually if that happens, it's literally toast. New ones are not always available but, when they are, cost in the neighbourhood of $2,500.

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[n/a]

Peterm,
I had a similar problem. Spent a ton of money on a recored radiator, new water pump, new fan clutch, new thermostat. Then checked the temperature with an electronic temperature gun only to find out that my temperature gauge is reading high.
So, that is the next project, but at least I am confident that the cooling system is bullet-proof.

Regards,
Stan

[blairwag]

I just put the car back together tonight. And I'll tell you this. If it weren't for this thread, I would NOT have installed the fan shroud. Because the pulley on the power steering pump protrudes so far, the fan shroud is a major pain in the back side to remove and install. In fact, I have to take the fan (4 bolts), the fan shroud, and the radiator all out at the same time, in order to get the shroud to clear the power steering pullet. Now, this may be due to the crapy A/C setup I had (Frigiking, dealer option) on the car.    Yup, had - I've removed it as part of this project. But, reinstalling the shroud was just as difficult as removing it. Radiator and fan all have to be hung in place at the same time. Very difficult with just 2 hands.


--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William Blair Wagner: blairwag@earthlink.net
Education is not always knowing the answer,
...but rather knowing where to look for it!
1971 280SL US Automatic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~